Prague at Night and Day: A World City Awakens

The Wenceslas Monument at Wenceslas Square. Mouseover oder tapping to switch on the light!

Yup, that's him.

What to do when you're arriving late at night in Prague and none of the hostels even got a free spare bed for you? Just stay awake. When daytime's rush is over, most oft he typical tourists are sleeping and just a few cheerful night owls are around: That's the perfect time to explore such a city and its landmarks. After that you can calmly observe its awakening in the morning. A good idea, really. In retrospect I'm actually glad I didn't find a place to sleep.

So I've been strolling around the city until dawn, taking a photo here and there. Now and then I picked a place to visit again at daytime, in order to take another photo for a direct comparison. Here's a small handful, just like the opening picture it will change on mouseover or when you're tapping it:

An illuminated statue is fit very well for stuff like that, after all. Gives the picture a human component, but won't move until I’m coming back. In the background there's the Church of St. Ignatius.

One of the streets of Prague's hotspot Žižkov, close to the fully booked hostels. The small café on the right is where the Czech graphic novel Alois Nebel was born, its animated version already waits to be watched on my latop.

Theese two photos didn't come out perfectly alright, but who cares. It's the Dancing House, an office building close to the Vltava river. Here at this intersection there was one hell of a traffic even at 3am. Just like Dresden at 3pm. Looks like there's a good reason for the downtown's pedestrian lights to only switch to green when someone's pushing the button - and even then you have to hurry a lot if you want to be on the other side just in time.

Time and again people ask me in English if I'm a local and know where their various destinations are. They probably don't relly notice the fully packed bike... Anyway, even at night you're aware you're travelling a world city here. In the other parts of Bohemia barely anyone's speaking English, just sometimes a friendly gramps greets me in Czech...

Well then, from now on it's just single pictures.

Don't know when it started, but somehow this fad of sweethearts locking a padlock with their names to a bridge is pretty common by now. I've never seen an accumulation like this, though.

And while we're at the topic of perpetuations:

The John Lennon wall. Since the 80s people are smearing and spraying here like there were no tomorrow – by now with official permission from the Order of Malta who owns the wall. A work of art that's changing and growing all the time, if you want to put it that way. It started out with portraits of John Lennon and lyrics of Beatle's songs, but now there's a wide range of other stuff to behold as well. If you want, you can also just leave a slip of paper.

And now, obligatory:

On the Charles Bridge, Prague's most popular landmark. A pedestrian bridge from the 14th century, which is leading more than 500 meters across the Vltava river and connects both parts oft the historic city. Its two gates are especially striking. Here behind the east gate dawn is looming already, that's why the buildings appear nearly just as silhouettes. I'm crossing the bridge coming from the west gate, every now and then I encounter a kissing couple or some more or less drunk party people on their way home. It's Friday night after all. I decide to wait here for the sunrise and proceed to charge my camera's batteries.

View from the bridge at Prague Castle. Also showing up on the 50 Koruna coin. The night is slowly approaching its end...

You know what's always amusing when you're positioning yourself with your tripod somewhere in a famous historic city? There's constantly people emerging in your field of vision in order to get a picture taken. Just like that. Some of them want it to be sent to their mail later, those guys for example:

Kateřina and friends. Even got an official permission to post the pic. Thanks!

One of the many ornaments at the bridge's parapet. Hebrew writing? Yeah, a Jew had to do that as an imposition back then. On a Christian cross to properly humiliate him. (And now: Another streaker.) In case you wondered what the small black dots are supposed to be:

Spiders, yo.

And a view to the other side. It's getting brighter...

I'm passing the east gate in order to explore Prague's historic downtown a little further. The small, winding alleyways make me feel like wandering a labyrinth, but it's absolutely lovely around here. Sun is rising slowly and the squares are getting crowded with their first tourists. Those early birds seem to feel especially good, now and again you see people jumping for a photo. Daylight begins to flood the alleys and the facades are shining in their various colors.

An Asian who just keeps standing there and collecting energy.... or himself, I don't know. Anyway, he seems to know what he's doing.

I'm returning to Charles Bridge...

Meanwhile it's 7am. The drunkards have long made way for the photographers. Garbagemen patrol the whole historic district with their giant vacuum cleaners in order to make room for the next tourist bunch's legacies...

Back to Wenceslas Square. It's 9am now and the first segway scooters are on their way. I know those from Dresden… Showmen are appearing in the pedestrian area: Living statues in flashy clothing that will move for a small donation. Somehow they're always around in places like this as well. The city is thriving more and more with life, I smell the food scent from nearby snack bars and hear passersbys communicate in all kinds of languages. Groups of tourists gather for guided city tours, a few homeless people get their morning water at  the water fountains. Me too.

I drop by at Charles Bridge on last time…

And this is what is looks like at noon there. Mass tourism par ecxellence. The place is completey jam-packed, I didn't expect that many people. You barely can move and have to make your way by swinging umbrellas at people! Or something like that. In addition to the tourists here's painters and musicians left and right, hoping for some quick money. Okay, the music is pretty nice actually, but all the masses here are kind of killing the fun. I realize what a brilliant idea it was to visit the bridge at dawn.

I think from now on I'll always do it like that when visiting such cities: Going on a scouting expedition at night and waiting for the sunrise. There are few but cheerful people around, you got some peace and the mood at dawn is something really special after all. I wholeheartedly recommend this.

After a while (took about ten times longer then the first crossing) I arrive at the western shore again. There I conclude to have seen enough for now and to hit the road again. Next stop will be Pilsen...